The UnderGround Project: Into the Spirit Realm
by Dudegirl
Summary: Sequel to Memoirs of a hero.The time of great change is apon us. An infection is spreading.Who is 'Our Leader' and will we defeat him?
1. Prologue

It has been many years since the one known as 'Our leader' took over the world. The UnderGround Project was a huge success. We still protect the world from evil.

But there was one event that we must mention. Ever since it happened, we could not deny it. A strange feeling that somehow everything was going to change. This change came in the form of the discovery of Alex Mann. There was something about him we knew was different. We could feel it. He became our connection to the 'Rebel Alliance'.

We were not sure whether to trust this Alliance. They did go against 'Our Ruler' or 'Our Leader', but they were not protectors of the Earth. They only looked out for themselves. They seemed so distant to us.

Soon, the change began. Strange reports of an infection spreading amongst the 'villains' locked away in the chambers of the UnderGround scared some of us. That was when we knew, the time of great change is beginning…

* * *

"Batman? How is it going up there?"

"Fine, Superman. We've almost cleaned up the streets."

"Batman, there is something I must tell you…"

"What is it?"

"It's Joker. I think he has the infection…"

-Pause-

"Batman? Are you there?"

"We have to stop this infection, Clark. I don't know how, but we're going to do it…"

"I'll call Alex…"

* * *

"Alex! Quit fooling around!"

"I'll be fine Rikki. Just let me get this one!" Alex climbed onto the roof.

"Alex! Didn't your mother ever tell you _not_ to try 'surfing' on the top of a _moving vehicle_?" Alex didn't answer. "Alex, you're not listening to a word I'm saying, are you."

"What was that, Rikki? I wasn't listening."

The robot was gaining on them fast.

"You have been ordered to stop the vehicle. It contains persons that go against the laws of Our Ruler. Please pull over or we will fire without warning." It said.

"Hey! Tin can!" said Alex. "Fire this!" and he threw an explosive at the robot.

The bot exploded, sending chunks of metal everywhere.

"Brandon, stop the bus." said Rikki.

The bus came to a sudden stop. Alex lost his balance and fell backwards on onto the front window.

"Alex four, Brandon two." He said. "Can we find another one?"

"Alex, are you out of your mind? You could have gotten yourself killed!" said Rikki.

"And you didn't tell me this the many times I fought Dr.X why?" Alex climbed back in the window ("You could have just used the door!" said Brandon).

"I did tell you!" Rikki said. "See, I told you. You never listen…"

"Alex, phone!" said Ginder.

"Who is it?"

"One of your buddies from the UnderGround. Says it's urgent."


	2. Chapter 1: Security breach

"Alex, this is serious." said Superman. "There is some kind of infection spreading throughout the villains. None of us has caught it yet, but we have to be careful, just to be sure."

"What kind of infection is it?" Alex asked, following Superman through the medical ward in the Underground.

"We don't know." said Superman. "And we don't know how it is spread."

Through the doorway of one of the wards Alex saw Joker. He was lying on the floor. He seemed to be his usual happy self, laughing as usual. Joker tried to get up and his laughter died down to a whimper. Tears began to appear in his eyes. "Please help me…" he said, before he collapsed on the floor. His hands were suddenly replaced by huge black claws and his face distorted and turned black. Superman closed the door.

"I guess you have some idea of the symptoms…" said Superman.

"Is there anything we can do to help them?" said Alex.

Superman shook his head. "We haven't found anything that helps, but we're still looking."

There was a scream coming from Jokers ward.

"Shit! Not again!" Superman threw open the door.

Joker stood there, laughing again. He was now completely black. Alex watched in horror as his eyes turned red and his legs disappeared. Joker's high pitched laughter changed into a rougher, more animal like one. Six horns slowly grew from his head before he melted into a black puddle that sunk into the floor.

"Crap! Not another one!" said Superman. "That's the third one this week."

"Wow…" said Alex. "That's really creepy…"

* * *

A dark figure stood in an alleyway, as if waiting for someone. He pulled his coat around himself, trying to protect himself from the cold. A much shorter figure swung from a lamp-post down beside him. 

"You got the stuff?" said the taller one.

"Yeh. I got it." said the shorter one, as he pulled out a small flask.

"That's it?" said the taller one.

"Yeh, that's it!" snapped the shorter one, "I'm sorry. But making this shit is difficult. You need the right ingredients which are really hard for me to find."

"Geez, Sorry." The Taller one held up his hands.

"You know, you take this stuff like its heroin or something. That is a highly unstable chemical! It could be dangerous! Meaning that something really bad could happen if you drink it!"

"Could you just shut up for five seconds?" said the taller one. "God! Who are you? My mother?"

"So you going to pay me, or what?" said the shorter one.

The taller one grinned. "What villain would I be if I paid you?" he said, before he pulled out a pair of white sticks and fired blue sparks at the shorter one.

"Curses!" screamed the shorter one as he flipped out of the way. "Tempest! You could have killed me!"

'Tempest' pulled off his hood, showing off his black lightning shaped mark. "I should have killed you." He said. "I should have killed you years ago. Too bad my 'boss' got in the way."

"I worked right beside your master. He even tried to help me defeat the PowerPuff Girls once." The short one snarled. "You should at least show him some respect."

"Dr.X deserves no respect!" Tempest growled. "He abandoned me…"

"And I took you under my wing. He would have wanted it that way." said the short one.

"You have got to be the worst 'adoptive parent' I have ever met." said Tempest. "Seriously! Look at me! You should have changed my name to 'Tarzan' or something."

The short one pulled the paper bag off his head, revealing the dome that covered his oversized brain. "Tarzan was adopted by gorillas. I'm a chimpanzee. There's a big difference."

"I'm glad you didn't try to teach me how to throw my own shit…"

"Hey! I never throw my doodoo! I may be a chimp, but I'm not some kind of zoo animal!" the short one crossed his gloved arms.

"Zoo animal huh?" said Tempest. "Which reminds me, how did you escape from the UnderGround this time?"

"Picked the lock again…" said the short one. "I also found out something you might want to know. One of your 'old friends' has joined the crew."

"Who?" Tempest smirked.

"Someone who calls himself 'Alex Mann'."

"What!" Tempest's skin suddenly flashed blue. "I thought he was dead? I'm sure X must have killed Action Jock years ago!" Tempest grabbed the monkey by the throat. "Are you sure it was him?"

"Y…yes…" he gasped. "It was him. They never found his body, remember?"

Tempest threw the monkey on the ground. "Mojo, take me to Our Leader."

"But…" said the monkey.

"Now!"

* * *

Alex passed a Wolverine in the hallway. He had seen him a few times, but never actually talked to him. 

"Hey, nice claws. What are they made of?" said Alex.

Suddenly the claws were against his neck.

"Want to find out?" said Wolverine.

Alex gulped as Wolverine left.

"Don't worry about him, he tends to get cranky." said a voice beside him.

Alex turned to see Spiderman, handing upside down…again.

"Wow. Not so jumpy anymore. I think you getting the hang of this." said Spiderman.

"What do you want, Peter?"

"Security breach. Want to come with?"

"You said that when 'Jessica' escaped. What is it with you and danger?"

"I don't know! I just don't want to miss anything! And it's never the same without you around. I get lonely and nobody laughs at my wisecracks."

"Why don't you talk to Crypto?"

"Crypto doesn't laugh! He's a dog! He barely even knows what I'm saying. Last time he urinated on my leg!"

"Ok, fine, I'll come."

Alex followed him to where the UnderGround's security was breached.

"They're bound to be around here somewhere…" said Spiderman. "They can't really get far."

Something moved.

"Holy cow! What the hell was that?" said Spiderman.

Alex was grabbed from behind.

"Ok, nobody move, or he gets it!" said a female voice.

"Whoa…hey, easy sweetheart." Spiderman held up his hands, "Let's not do anything stupid."

"Wait a minute…" said Alex. "Kim Possible?"

"Alex? Is that you?" said the woman. "I thought you were dead?"

"Uh, no. I'm still alive. But Kim! What are you doing here?"

Kim brushed her long red hair out of her face. "Same thing you are, I assume. I want to join your little group."

"I'm sorry but, what is going on here?" said Spiderman.

"Peter, this is Kim Possible. She's like a Global Guardian too. I worked with her a few times." said Alex.

"Yeh, good times." said Kim. "You remember those Alex? I used to be a big fan of yours. I remember asking you for you autograph. I even asked for your underwear once. By the way, what kind are you wearing right now?" she touched his belt.

Alex gulped. Maybe Kim had never gotten over her little teenage crush.

"Cut it out Kim. You're a married woman." said a blonde man who was leaning on the wall.

"Kim? You're married?" said Alex. "Do I know him?" he looked back at the blonde man. He was wearing a ring. Alex knew that face was familiar. But who was it? "Ron? You married Ron? Ron and Kim Stoppable?"

"You said we would make a good couple."

"Only because you kept asking me for my underpants. You seriously needed a boyfriend…" Alex said as they headed towards the door. As it opened, an ugly pink head appeared with large crooked teeth. It snarled as it raised a Butcher's knife over its head.

"Rufus! It's ok! We don't need 'Plan B' anymore. We got in fine." said Ron.

The Naked Mole Rat hid the knife behind his back and waved.

"Rufus, come here boy." said Ron as 'Rufus' climbed up his arm. "Look, Rufus. Look who we found!"

Rufus squeaked in excitement when he saw Alex and jumped onto his shoulder.

"Eew. Naked Mole Rats." said Spiderman. "Those things scare me."

Rufus gave a squeak that sounded almost like the word 'Booyah!'.


	3. Chapter 2: Death

"Are you cold?" said Mojo Jojo.

Tempest pulled his jacket around his shoulders. "What do you think banana breath?"

"Common misconception…" said Mojo, "I don't really eat bananas as much as you think…"

"I've studied the weather patterns of this area. It's confusing. It often ranges from extreme cold, to boiling hot."

"And do you know _why_ that happens?"

"That's the confusing part." said Tempest.

"Not really, when you think about it…"

"And how do you know?" said Tempest. "You're not exactly the weather genius here…"

"It has nothing to do with the weather!" said Mojo, "Think about it. What exactly _is_ Our Leader?"

Tempest paused for a while. "Apart from really tall?"

"When he feels like it…"

* * *

"It's Spiritual." said WonderWoman, placing a book on the table.

"Spiritual? You mean like, ghosts and demons spiritual?" said Alex.

"Exactly." said WonderWoman as she turned a few pages.

Spiderman crawled down from the roof. "Ok, so explain to me how an infection can be spiritual?"

"We've all known it's more than just an infection. Most of the infected end up disappearing through the floor. (Found it!)" said WonderWoman.

"So what exactly are you looking for?" Alex said as she handed him a candle. ("What's with the candle?")

"A spell…" said WonderWoman. "A spell to summon the spirit of an ancient Samurai Warrior. He could know what this is all about…"

There was a sudden flash, a bright light and the sound of thunder as an extremely thin man appeared. He stood there for a while with his back to them, a towel wrapped around his waist.

"Billy?" he said in a thick Jamaican accent, "What have I told you about privacy I…" he turned, "Sweet mother of!…Holy!…" he spluttered, "Let me guess, you be tryin' to summon an 'ancient Samurai Warrior'?"

Spiderman nodded.

"Bah! Blasted spells." He raised his hand and a sharp looking weapon appeared, along with a black cloak that now covered his body, "You really should study them more closely. You won't believe how many times I've been summoned accidentally."

Alex was now standing beside the man. He grabbed hold of the thin mans arm. ("I didn't know anorexia affected males too…")

"Let go of me arm!" the man said as he pulled away from Alex, "Now, If you don't mind, I'll be leaving." He raised his weapon and disappeared. He then reappeared above the table and fell with a crash. "Billy? Billy, have you been picking your nose again?" he said as he poked WonderWoman's nose.

"Uh…You're still here." said Spiderman.

"What?" the man looked over his weapon, "Darn scythe must be broken…"

"So, who are you exactly?" said Alex.

The man climbed off the table. "To put it blankly…" he began and flames suddenly appeared around his cloak, "I be _death_!" his eyes narrowed, "The Grim Reaper, the Angel of Death. Take your pick…"

_Bones!_ Thought Alex, _He's not really thin at all! He's just a freaky bone guy! _Alex shuddered.

"Now, does anyone have any idea how I can get back home?"

* * *

"Brandon, are you sure you know what you are doing?"

"Trust me! I'm sure!"

"What about the protection? You know, security systems, that kind of crap. If they found out we tried to break in, they would kill us!"

Brandon cut the wire. "Ok, we can go in now."

"I can't believe it was that simple…" said Rikki as they climbed down the hole, "Ok seriously, what if they find us? They're a bunch of super heroes!"

"With Alex on our side, they won't even touch us, we're allies!" said Grinder.

When they reached the bottom Grinder switched on his flashlight.

"What the hell was that?" said Rikki, "That wasn't your stomach was it Brandon?"

"I'm sure it was nothing. Shit!" said Grinder as he dropped his light.

"There it goes again…"

"Damn batteries fell out…"

"Ok, I'm sure that was some kind of animal. Get me out of here!" Rikki whimpered as he grabbed Brandon.

"Don't worry, I fixed it." Grinder flipped it back on.

A massive head appeared with large red eyes and sharp teeth. It disappeared again when Grinder turned off the light.

"I hope Rikki didn't see that…"

"See what? What's going on?"

"It was probably just some big old bear…"

"Seriously Brandon, a bear underground?"

"Maybe it was an Elephant?"

"That's even less believable than a bear…"

The growl echoed through the tunnel again.

Fidget snatched the light from Grinder. "Maybe we could distract it…" she flashed the light.

Two more heads appeared.

"Looks like his mates joined the party…" said Grinder.

Rikki saw them this time. "Ok, I'm leaving now. Get me out of here!" Rikki grabbed Brandon.

The three heads snarled and barked. As they stepped out from the shadows, Brandon noticed something.

_Three heads and one body?_

There was a faint voice coming from far away.

"Cerberus! Here boy!"

Three heads turned, their ears pointed. They glanced back at the tiny humans below them before they gave a bark and the one body bounded off.

* * *

The black smoke cleared as Grim awoke.

"For God's sake Alex!" he said, "For the last time, your grandmother is fine. She be very happy up der wit all them angels. Now if you don't mind…ack!" he said as he looked up.

"The Grim Reaper I presume?" said a voice.

"Yes. Dat be I. What you be wantin'?" Grim said as he crossed his arms.

A light shone on Grim.

"My name is Tempest Storm. This is…" Tempest looked down at the monkey beside him. The monkey looked up at Tempest expectantly. Tempest sighed. "…my _father_ Mojo Jojo…and no I will not refer to myself as 'Tempest Jojo'." Mojo frowned. "We need you to kill off somebody, since that is basically what you do…"

"I am the Grim Reaper, not some kind of assassin. You want someone dead, you kill him yourself. I only reap deir souls." Grim lifted his scythe, "I be goin now." The scythe crackled a few times, then died. "Damn scythe be broken again! Last time I let Billy get his hands on dis…"

Tempest smirked. "So, will you do it for us?"

Grim tapped his foot. "I guess I could. Under a few conditions. Who be it?"

Tempest handed him a picture. Grim squinted his eye sockets.

After a while he said. "I'll try. But I can't guaranty anyting."

"Make it as painful as possible." said Tempest.

"I'll just do de job." said Grim.

* * *

The main dinning hall was full. Spiderman and Alex sat at the same table as Batman. Spiderman was poking Alex with a fork ("Ow. Ow. Ow. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it.")

"So…uh, what size are those?" said Rikki, hoping to start up a conversation with WonderWoman. WonderWoman just ignored him.

("Hey! You broke my fork!" "Quit poking me!")

There was a crash as three massive black things came up through the floor, wrapped around someone. The person was thrown to the other side of the room before the 'black things' shrunk back down under the floor.

People screamed as Batman approached the now dead body. It was one of the 'X-men'.

"Alex? What the hell just happened?" said Brandon.

"I don't know." said Alex, "Batman, does this happen often?"

"Fifth one this month." said Batman, "His attacks are becoming more frequent."

"Who is he?"

"We don't know. But there has been a rumor going around that it is 'Our Ruler' himself."


	4. Chapter 3: Explosion

There was a section deep underneath the Underground. There were prison cells to house the many villains they had captured.

Alex unlocked the one marked 'Him'.

"Him?" said Brandon, "What kind of name is that? I thought you said her name was Jessica?"

Alex smirked when Brandon referred to Him as a 'her'.

The room was empty.

"Brandon, close the door." Another one of 'Jessica's' tricks.

"So, this Jessica, is she like the invisible lady or something?"

Alex's eyes focused on the door. "Doorknob." He said.

The doorknob suddenly moved and turned red, then it changed shape to what looked like a human male.

"One minute! That's a new record!" Jessica said in an almost feminine voice, "And that name change is a very nice tou…" Jessica looked down at Brandon as if 'she' had never seen him come in. He frowned and didn't say anything else.

Him never spoke to anyone; accept Alex and the Power Puff Sisters. He defiantly wasn't going to speak to Brandon.

"Isn't that the dude who attacked me?" said Brandon.

"Don't worry, he's harmless." Alex said, looking down at the cuffs clamped around each of his claws. Apparently, they somehow prevented Him from using his powers.

"So, Him. Are you going to tell me anything this time?" said Alex.

No answer.

"Fine. Just gives me a reason to call the PowerPuff Girls over."

Him's eyes widened. "You wouldn't!" he said, in a now masculine voice.

"I would. All you have to do is not cooperate and…"

"Alright!" Him barked. Then his voice became feminine once more. "I'll do it. What do you want?"

"Tell me everything you know about 'Our Leader'."

A smile spread across Him's face. "That's what this is all about!" his voice sounded almost like a teenager, "You're dabbling in dark magic, boy. Our Leader is very dangerous!" the red mans eyes went the same colour as his skin as his voice became masculine once more, "He will destroy you!"

"Who is he?" said Alex.

Him shrunk back down to Alex's height. "I can't tell you too much." His voice feminine again, "But he's not human like you! And he had been planning to take over this pitiful planet for over three thousand years!" he gave a weak little laugh. For a moment, he looked sad, maybe even fearful. He looked down at the floor. It was now black.

"Him! Quit fooling around with the floor!" said Alex.

Him stepped back a little. "I didn't do it! Honest!"

The floor suddenly moved.

"Alex, it's that thing from the dinning room." said Brandon.

"Get off the floor!" Alex said, as he dragged Brandon up onto the table.

"I hardly told him anything! I swear!" Him screamed.

The black thing responded by grabbing Him around the waist.

"You traitor!" Him dug his claws into it before the thing tightened its grip, cracking a few ribs. Another long appendage grew from the floor, and then went into Him's forehead.

"What exactly is that thing?" said Brandon.

The thing dropped Him on the floor and disappeared.

Brandon and Alex stood over Him. He was still alive. He didn't seem to badly wounded.

"Him, what's going on? What was that?" said Alex. He couldn't help feeling sorry for the poor little…it.

Him effortlessly pulled himself up. "That was the traitor, 'Our Leader'. I will never trust him again." But then he smiled, "You're still going to die!"

There was a crash, and it felt as if the entire Underground was shaking.

* * *

Alex reached the source of the crash, following Batman.

"What is it?" said Alex.

"See for yourself." Batman pointed.

A massive black scorpion scuttled above them, waving its claws.

"Watch out for its tail. I don't know how bad the poison is." said Batman.

Another section of the Underground collapsed as the Scorpion knocked down a wall.

"No." said Batman.

"What?" said Alex.

"That wall was next to the main reactor. If the scorpion destroys that…"

"We'll go with it." said Alex, "I think we better run."

"Right behind you…"

There was a horrible sound as the reactor blew.

* * *

"Ow!" said Alex as he woke.

"Where is your sward?"

Alex rubbed his eyes. The last thing he remembered was, he was with Batman and…the reactor! The reactor blew!

"Great! I'm dead!"

"Where is your sward?"

"Huh?" said Alex, hearing the voice for the first time.

"Where is your sward?" said the gruff voice again.

"Sward? I don't have a sward!"

A pair of massive, flaming eyes appeared. They stared down at him. "Buh! You not the samurai!"

"Who are you?" said Alex.

"Who am I?" the voice gave a loud laugh. "I am Aku! The shape shifting master of darkness and the ruler of this world!"

"Our Ruler?"

"Yes. Fits quite well don't you think?"

Alex frowned. "No."

"What?"

"You don't deserve to be the ruler. You killed people. You created an infection and you attacked Him, and he's on your side!"

"Sacrifices must be made. I am the ruler of this planet, and you are just a pathetic, washed up 'Super Hero'."

"You will not claim another innocent…"

"Now where have I heard that before?" said Aku, "Oh well. You will die now. Bye bye."

* * *

"Alex! Alex! Wake up!" Bubbles shook Alex awake.

Alex woke. "What the hell happened?" he said as he looked up at Grim, who was holding his scythe above his head.

Everyone looked at Grim.

"What?" said Grim, "Oh come on! He was going to die anyway!"

"The Underground was completely destroyed." said Superman, "Lots of people died. Sorry guys but we're going to be homeless for a while."

There was a groan coming from everyone.

"Hey! We have plenty of room in the bus!" said Brandon, "Why don't you all…" Rikki shoved his hand over his mouth.

"That's actually not such a bad idea." said Alex.

Grim tapped him on the shoulder. "Alex, I need to speak to you. Now."

"Sure, go ahead."

"No." said Grim, "In private…"

* * *

Grim took him to the surface. Alex looked down at what had been 'The Underground Project'. Now it was nothing but a gaping hole in the ground, black smoke pouring out of it.

"Alex, dis is Cerberus. I tink you should get to know him." Grim said, stroking the nose of a large, three headed dog.

The dog was huge. Probably bigger than an elephant.

"What is this all about, Grim?" said Alex.

"I know dat the ruler of dis world contacted you. His name is Aku. I should know I went to high school with him." said Grim, "Aku is very dangerous. I need to get you as far away from here as I can."

"What does this have to do with your big dog…?"

"At one point, Cerberus used to be my only form of transportation before I got me scythe. Well, actually, before Cerberus, I had to walk for miles, across deserts, through oceans, over mountains. Dat is why in Biblical times people lived to de ripe old age of nine hundred."

"Wow. I always wondered how that happened."

"Hey! What's going on?" Spiderman hung upside down from a tree. "Who's Aku?"

"Oh for God's…You've been spying on us!" said Grim.

"Yeh, sorry. Couldn't help myself. So, where are you going?"

Grim suddenly shoved the blade of his scythe in Spiderman's face. "Nowhere, and if you breath a single word of dis to anyone you will be leaving earlier than planned, permanently!"


End file.
